Londonwith 6 yr old boy, what can we do?

[mosschops30]

thinking of taking dd (14) and ds1 (6) in october, dd hasbeen before.
We will have one day.
Whatis good thatwillsuit both ages?

Tia

national army museum has the 'war horse' exhibition on in october
dd read Morpurgos book and is enthralled.

Do they like museums? Galleries? Historic houses? Shopping?

If they are a little bit interested in history, then I would take them to the Tower of London (there are great tours) and a boat trip from outside to Greenwich to see the Meridian line and the view, then the DLR (driverless trains) back through the Docklands to central London. If that doesn't sound like their bag, most kids really get off on the London Dungeon which is close to London Bridge station. Covent Garden is fun at that age - there's usually a pretty good juggler/magician/tumbler performing in the piazza and there are lots of shops.

The V&A museum is eclectic enough to have something for everyone and there is a hotel nearby where you can get a great afternoon tea cheaply (2-for-1, see below), it's also a short bus ride to Harrods if they want to buy some olive green tat .

Finally, a bit of a curveball, the Foundling Museum is wonderful, really moving and there is a great playground nearby which your son might enjoy.

BIG TIP: Look at the 2-for-1 Days Out website - if you buy your travel cards at a rail station when you arrive, then you will be entitled to lots of attractions on a 2-for-1 basis. You can either print off the vouchers at home or most railway stations have booklets that list a lot of the attractions and little tear out vouchers at the back.

My boys have always loved the London Dungeon, which consists of a tour, passing through different themed rooms, with actors playing parts of London's gruesome history. You say you are thinking of going in October - is this half term week?
The London Dungeon is VERY popular at this time, being Halloween, so you need to buy tickets online, or get there VERY early in the morning, as the queue will stretch down the road, with a long wait, all day.
Last time we went, there was another Halloween attraction across the road which was not so busy, so we did that instead. It was OK but not as good as the Dungeon, although cheaper.
It depends on what your kids are interested in really. My boys liked the Natural History museum dinosaurs rooms, and also the Egyptian rooms with mummies, statues and sarcophagi in the British Museum.
They liked going up in the London Eye, and also the Tower of London.
Madame Tussauds was a favourite place, and the ticket also includes the Planetarium.
If you go to Piccadilly Circus, there is a ' Ripleys Believe It Or Not ' attraction on about 3 floors.
A boat trip along the Thames is also a good idea.

For more advice you could ask on the TALF which is the Trip Advisor London Forum, where Experts can help.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g186338-i17-London_England.html

Yes i think to boat trip would be great, where can i find out about those?
Me and dd did tower of london last summer, ds is quite a young 6 i dont think hed be interested in a lot of it.
What is the natural hisyory museum like? I think he may like that.

I would love to do the london dungeon but dd has a phobia od dummies so its probably out (as are a lot of things sigh)

Natural History museum stuck to the gunnells with Dinosaurs, but very very busy - might be ok if not school holidays. Transport museum at Convent Garden good, although pricey, you may be able to get ticket deals on line. I know its a cliche but DS loved the Rainforest Cafe ( although it is pricey). Skip the zoo its very expensive and I didn't think it was that great.

moss, great thread here with London suggestions... (I had it marked as I want to take the DC eventually).

we also went on HMS Belfast, which is moored near London Bridge, and just after we came off the bridge was raised to allow a tall ship through, which DH found very interesting.
We also went up inside London Bridge tower and the walkway across, which DS liked, but he is interested in history and mechanical engineering. He also liked the Imperial War Museum.
The TA London forum can tell you all about boat trips and prices. They know pretty much everything about London.

The southbank of the thames would be a good place to spend a day. The tower of london (ok I know that's north of the river but stick with me) tower bridge, HMS Belfast, London Dungeons, The Golden Hind, The Globe theatre, The Millenium footbridge, the tate modern, BFI Imax cinema, the London Eye, the aquarium. The southbank has plenty of places to eat, there are always street entertainers the kids love. There's a great view of the houses of parliament and big ben and if you cross westminster bridge you can peer through the gates of downing Street and say hello to the horses & soldiers at Horseguards. You could also go on a london duck tour ....
We live in London and the kids never tire of this kind of day out. Some of the attractions are expensive but you can have a lovely day just walking around seeing the sights and eating a picnic. (also tate is free and quite often there is free stuff going on the royal festival hall)

I climbed to the top of st pauls cathedral with my DS age 6. He loved it. Also Camden Town Market would go down well with your older dd as well as ds. The new stables area has so much to see and is free (unless you buy anything from the market obviously!)

We did changing of the guard last Saturday (top tip stand outside wellington Barracks to see the band) and then did the Royal mews ,saw the gold coach and the carriages used in the Royal wedding,the audio tour was very good and kept ds3 (9) occupied .Natural history and Science museum always good,mine prefer the science museum as there is so much interactive stuff.South Bank also good ,HMS Belfast is good but I think rather pricey,although you only pay for adults I think

Kensington Palace is meant to be good but i haven't been for a bit

My two love the Museum of Transport in Covent Garden (as do me and DH :))
Also, the city farms are lovely, there's loads (I only know the East End ones- Hackney/Mudchute/Bermondsey etc)
Tate Britain has kids activities (and is free:)) Coram's Fields has a super play area and some animals (again free)
Obligatory trip to Hamleys with pocket money (best to go early in the morning)